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Colorado Xcel crews headed to Puerto Rico

Big companies like Xcel are sending crews to Puerto Rico to help restore power to communities slammed by Hurricane Maria.
KUSA

Puerto Rico has been without power since Hurricane Maria slammed the area in September 2017. Big companies like Xcel are sending in crews to help make repairs, and some of those crews are coming from Coloardo.(Photo: KUSA)

As of Monday, 450,000 people in Puerto Rico are still in the dark. They've been without power since last September when Hurricane Maria slammed into the island.

Big companies like Xcel Energy are now sending crews to restore the light. Some of them are coming from Colorado.

Eight trucks and 30 employees including Mark Newby are headed to the island on Monday. They return on February 19.

Mark is afraid a lot of that time will be spent picking up fallen trees and natural debris that still litter the ground here.

"You think about the pole lines that go down there," explained Mark, "They’re blown over into the vegetation so you have to have people in there trimming the trees, cutting you a path through the pole line to get in there."

Mark can only hope this will be done by the time they get to Puerto Rico to work.